A Commitment to Patient andFamily-Centered Care
The services offered at NNMC are specially designed to promote ‘‘Patient and Family-Centered Care;” an approach to the planning, delivery and evaluation of health care to encourage partnerships between our providers and our patients and their families. The four basic tenets of Respect, Information Sharing, Participation and Collaboration embody the concept of Patient and Family-Centered Care at NNMC. We recognize family and social support, open information, and patient and family involvement in health care decision making are integral components of quality health care. The commitment to Patient and Family-Centered Care practiced at NNMC leads to better health outcomes and greater patient, family and staff satisfaction. Twice a year, patients nominate NNMC care-givers for their commitment to excellent Patient and Family-Centered Care.

Mutual Dignity and Respect
Health care practitioners listen to and honor patient and family perspectives and choices. Patient and family knowledge, values, beliefs and cultural backgrounds are incorporated into the planning and delivery of care. Attention to a patient’s emotional well-being, privacy and personal preferences is practiced.

Open and Honest Information Sharing
Health care practitioners communicate and share complete and unbiased information with patients and families in ways that are affirming and useful. Patients and families receive timely, complete, and accurate information in order to effectively participate in care and decision-making.

Active Participation
Patients and families are supported and encouraged to participate in care and decision-making. You can make your care safer by being an active, involved and informed patient. Ask questions. Educate yourself about your illness. Learn about your medical tests, and your treatment plan. Know what medicines you take and why you take them.

Collaboration
Patients and families are included on an institution-wide basis. Health care leaders collaborate with patients and families in policy and program development, implementation, and evaluation; in health care facility design; and in professional education, as well as in the delivery of care.

Customer Service

Our Customer Service Program includes command-wide customer service training and a customer advocate at each clinic to serve as a liaison between patients, the hospital staff and administration. The customer advocate is the first point of contact for concerns or comments regarding health care at NNMC. Should you require assistance beyond that of the clinic customer advocate, please visit the Customer Advocacy Office or give them a call at 301-295-0156 from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. A Patient Advocate will be assigned toassist you.

Ethics Committee

Patient care sometimes leads to complicated situations involving quality of life issues and difficult life-and-death decisions. NNMC’s Ethics Committee identifies these issues and facilitates open communication among those involved in patient care. NNMC maximizes each patient’s care by including family members, attending or consulting physicians, nurses, or other members of the patient’s health care team. Anyone directly involved in the care of a patient can request an Ethics Consult. An Ethics Committee member is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To receive individual consultation, call 866-295-4913. The Ethics pager PIN number is 1068606. The Ethics Committee also monthly invites all interested patients and staff to roundtable discussions, where real-life, anonymous case studies are used for discussion purposes. Roundtable discussions occur the first Friday of each month at noon in the Stitt Library conference room.

Executive Health Care forOur Nation’s Leaders

NNMC’s Executive Health CareClinic brings world-class medical care to the nation’s leaders, ensuring availability, flexibility, security, and confidentiality at all times. These leaders include the U.S. President, the U.S. Vice President, members of the President’s Cabinet, members of the U.S. Congress, U.S. Supreme Court Justices, and Flag and General Officers. NNMC’s Executive Health Care Department also provides care for other authorized government officials, beneficiaries, foreign military and embassy personnel who the Navy Secretary and Defense Secretary designates.

Clinical Investigations Department

The Clinical Investigation Department promotes excellence in health care and militarily relevant research in addition to human subject protection. CID focuses on:

• Support for investigators offering consultation and education in literature search, research design and statistics, as well as offering financial support for beginning investigators.

• Protection of human research subjects through its support of the Scientific Review Panel and the Institutional Review Board.

• Provide research school to researchers.

• Supporting the Interdepartmental Collaborative Bethesda Research Group (ICEBERG). While conducting research these investigators also provide research mentoring for trainees.

The Healthcare Resolutions Program is designed to resolve complex health care disputes, issues or concerns at the lowest level and earliest opportunity – ensuring a fair resolution process for all involved parties. The emphasis of the program is ‘‘doing the right thing” when there are unanticipated adverse outcomes of care. The Healthcare Resolutions promotes an environment of transparency where unexpected results of care, treatment and services are openly and honestly disclosed, where system vulnerabilities are recognized and a commitment is made to process improvements. The Healthcare Resolutions is involved with patients and providers at the time of service delivery with typical interventions surrounding documented or perceived medical errors, unanticipated outcomes, sentinel events, expected or unexpected deaths, dissatisfied with treatment outcomes or quality of care received. Early intervention is critical in the achievement of meaningful resolutions. This service is available to all beneficiaries.

Military Family and USNS Comfort Ombudsman

NNMC’s Military Family Ombudsman and USNS Comfort Ombudsman provide information, resources and support for all active duty service members and their families, including the spouses and children of active duty members, their parents and siblings. Ombudsmen will always keep all problems, issues, concerns and resolutions in the strictest confidence. You may contact an Ombudsman seven days a week, between7 a.m. and 9 p.m., by calling the Command Duty Office at 301-295-4611.